Government Initiatives

2011 - Bailiwick Birds

For its Alderney issue on Bailiwick Birds, Guernsey Stamps has highlighted some of the species to be found in the Bailiwick of Guernsey (the islands of Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, Herm, Jethou, Lihou and Brecqhou).

Illustrated by Wendy Bramall the six stamps feature the black-headed Mediterranean Gull (36p), with its white wing-tips and underwings, whilst the colourful markings of the Shelduck, with its prominent red bill and black-green head, are shown on the 45p stamp.

The tiny Firecrest (48p) is depicted on a hawthorn bush; the 52p stamp shows a Balearic Shearwater in full flight; the Woodcock, a bulky wading bird, is illustrated on the 58p stamp; and the fluffy tail feathers of the Little Grebe are depicted on the 65p stamp.

Dawn Gallienne, head of philatelic at Guernsey Stamps commented: - "Following the successful creation of Penny the Postie for last year's Europa stamps we wanted to develop this product further. The Forests theme gave us the opportunity to create a set of stamps that link perfectly with the storybook."

Dawn continued: "The Channel Islands offer abundant wildlife and, as they lie on the main migratory routes of many bird species, at certain times of year unusual and even rare birds can be found around the coastlines of the Islands. We wanted to celebrate this with our special Bailiwick Birds issue."